


this is my life... somehow

by snjeguljica33



Category: Hit the Floor (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:27:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28776048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snjeguljica33/pseuds/snjeguljica33
Summary: so ... Jude lives in his own world, and Zero ... you could say also in his own ... until their worlds collide with a bang...
Relationships: Jude Kinkade/Zero | Gideon
Comments: 21
Kudos: 26
Collections: Zude





	1. Chapter 1

He never gets tired of sitting on the building and watching Jude get ready for work, preparing dinner, watching TV or even when…  
Well, well, he knows that's not quite right, but he can't help himself. Jude is so beautiful. And besides, he doesn't even know he exists, so this somehow doesn't even count in the category of spying.

Even if he wanted to, couldn't do it, because he's just an angel.  
Okay, now he knows no one will believe him, but he's been here in this place for a long time. Well, not watching Jude here, but as an angel.  
He can hardly explain to you how it happened. Maybe on another occasion.

Because, Jude is coming home and he has to concentrate. Honestly, he doesn’t have to, he wants to. He’s just a man prone to always the same rituals that have been spinning in his head anyway since the day he first saw Jude.

*

It's raining and he doesn't have an umbrella. Again.  
Jude isn't even angry anymore. The day was shitty anyway. The fact that it will eventually get wet is just the cream on the cake. It's not like that, because he doesn't like sweets, and this isn't a sweet situation either. It doesn’t even matter, as he runs from the car to the entrance of the house.

When he enters the house, first of all, he leaves a trail of wet clothes as he stumbles towards the bathroom. The warm water will comfort him at least a little. He hopes to warm up and wash away the bitter taste of this day, month, year…  
Ah, well he’s aware he won’t, but this is at least a small consolation.

As he stands under the hot jet he suddenly feels excited. Um, this is interesting. He lowered his hand toward his semi-hard cock and pulled it several times to full solidity.  
His eyes are closed, but he seems to see the blond man of his dreams clearly.  
He almost feels the presence as he pushes a few fingers into his painful hole. He leaned forward and worked faster and faster with both hands. He is not even afraid of losing his balance. In fact, it's the last thing on his mind as he jerks off frantically and pushes his fingers as deep as he can.  
The sobs he emits are broken in the small bathroom and under the roar of the water. Like the scream he makes when he drops a jet of hot cum on the wall. Suddenly, he startled out of this trance.   
The water is still flowing flushing the semen and longing he feels after one of the best orgasms he has had lately.

He can't even remember the last time. He thinks about it even when he wiped himself and headed for the room to put on some casual clothes. Maybe he could eat some light meal from the microwave and look at something on netflix.  
He feels much better now, so decides not to do anything like almost every day when he brings work home. Today is not that day, and he has the right sometimes to simply dedicate some free time to himself. He deserved it.

*

Zero smiles when he sees Jude coming home. Although he got wet, he is finally home now and can take care of him.

Wow… almost chokes when he sees naked Jude in the bathroom.  
Apparently the angels don't do this, but he doesn't care, when he comes down quickly and now he already has a view from the first row.  
In the foggy bathroom, he still sees very well everything that is happening. It almost feels like he is touching and kissing him…  
Well, it won't cost him anything to try, will it?

He stands right behind Jude who is doing very devotedly, what he is already doing, and Zero tries to put his hand over Juda's and in one crazy moment as if he really feels it.  
He feels Jude's body all around him. He feels his orgasm slowly grow in the bottom of his stomach. He feels the desperate movements of both hands.  
He stretched out just below Jude to get a better view and when a white intermittent jet started with Jude's screams, Zero seemed to feel it on his face…


	2. Chapter 2

Zero is still in Jude's apartment and although the younger man has been asleep for a long time, he can't take his eyes off him. Even less he can not forget what happened today.

Well, he hasn't always been an angel, it's just that it's been too long to remember some things like this vividly.  
Sex. Um… well, this wasn’t even sex in the true sense of the word. He was just a voyeur. Shit. It's getting deeper and deeper, isn't it? This all doesn’t look like someone like him, but Jude is… wow.

*

Jude wakes up in the morning rested and fresh as not long ago. Nothing special happened, but he is still grateful at least for this little pleasure.  
He still has a little time, so after the shower he prepares breakfast and coffee and lazily reviews today’s schedule.

He looks around occasionally because he doesn't seem to be alone.  
Nonsense, so he didn't go crazy from sleeping so much.  
He shook his head and started getting ready for work. Now it seems even more to him that someone is watching him as he dresses, so he hurries and doesn't even look behind when he leaves the apartment and closes the door.

*

Zero is still dazed as he sits at the Jude window and has only been watching him since he woke up.  
And it is strange to him that Jude is constantly turning around. It's impossible to see him, is it? People do not see angels.  
But it’s also impossible that he felt his hand yesterday, so why did it seem possible to him at that one moment? Maybe just in his head. Best not to go that road anymore.  
He would move to the building across from Jude's apartment, everything here is so reminiscent of him. Jude was almost suffocated by the smell and taste, so he flew away as fast as he could.  
It’s a beautiful day, and Jude will be back again in the evening, so he just sits and waits.

*

There isn't that much work today. Nor did he have any meetings, so after a good morning, Jude spent the day somehow just as happy and calm. He doesn't even remember what happened to him in the morning, until he came back to the apartment.

He immediately turns on all the lights and scans around, feeling like a lunatic. Luckily he's here alone, people think he's weird anyway. Just because he didn’t agree to some incidental and insignificant relationships, or even friendships just for some form. He was already thinking to himself that something was wrong with him, especially now as he walked around the apartment looking for a ghost or who knows who.

Eventually he calms down and eats dinner from the microwave, then sits down on the couch and turns on the TV. He wakes up with the strange feeling that someone is leaning against him, then extends his hand, afraid to open his eyes even when he squeezes someone's shoulder.

*

"Hey," he hears a low voice, so he jumps up, and indeed a blond man is sitting on his couch, looking at him in astonishment.  
"Do you really see me?" The man looks at the frightened Jude who nods his head almost unconsciously "and hear me too. Wow. Cool."

Jude rubs his eyes, but still sees the same person in his apartment.  
"Who are you?" He finally found a voice.  
"Zero" man looks totally amused, almost elated.  
"What are you doing in my apartment? How did you get in?” he continues, still standing at a safe distance.  
"Well, I don't know how to explain it, so I'll just say, 'I'm an angel." Zero stood up, and Jude took a step back.  
"I don't believe in angels." Jude doesn't know why he's suddenly angry.  
"Maybe it's time to start believing" Zero folded his arms across his chest.  
Jude has to admit on his beautifully sculpted chest. He is dressed all in white, just the way people imagine angels, but he has no wings, no shine.   
He waved his hand away and headed for the bedroom, pretending as if nothing had happened, but Zero was already sitting on his bed and more than fear, he was now struck by another thought.  
Well without thinking out of nowhere, Jude says "You looked me in the bathroom last night, didn't you?"  
Zero just smiles and Jude knows he’s totally fucked up, but somehow he can’t find him wrong or embarrassed. Not at all.


	3. Chapter 3

Although he doesn’t know what he should be doing now, Jude starts getting ready for bed. Tomorrow is a new work day, whether he was an angel here or not.  
Even if he had someone to tell this to, no one would believe him. Maybe it's better this way.  
If he ignores it long enough he may disappear.  
But when he returns to the bedroom, Zero is still there.  
"Sleep, I'll take care of you," he tells him, sitting in a chair across the bed.

Jude turns off the light, and Zero only now shines in the darkness.  
He closes his eyes and spins all night trying to fall asleep still hoping this is all just an ugly dream. It is even more difficult that a man with a beautiful body and an angelic face constantly pops up in front of his eyes. Oh, how poetic. Maybe it would be, just to happen to someone else.

In the days that followed, he still pretended that nothing had changed, though he saw Zero at every turn as soon as he got home. He might go to a hotel for a while, but he's not sure Zero won't find him there either. Honestly, the angel follows his rules and there is mostly silent, probably giving him time to adjust.

Finally, it’s the weekend and now that he knows he’s going to have to spend a full two days with him, Jude breaks the silence.  
"OK, I seem to be stuck with you, what do you really want? Do you want to stay here forever? ”  
"Thank God, I already thought you would punish me who knows how long. I don't want anything, just to be close to you.” Zero answered cheerfully, jumping off the window sill and hanging around the kitchen as Jude prepared dinner.  
"Okay, then tell me something about why you're here on earth at all?" Jude wants to know something about him. Maybe he finds a way to sort this out somehow.  
Mostly because of his well-being, because Zero seems to have nothing against staying.

They talk for a while, though even after that Jude isn't quite sure how Zero became an angel, because he didn't know either. Besides, he still hadn't found out why he was hooked just for him. He is not blind, see the way another man (or angel, however you want) looks at him. Maybe it doesn't even make sense to ask why. So for now, put that aside, it looks like this situation will last for some time to come.

After that the days go by and Jude can’t determine how his life turned into this. Even at work, his co-workers wonder how much he has changed for the better, and he just shakes his head and says that nothing special has happened. Only, he knows very well that it is. Someone, even if it was some unreal angelic being, finds him beautiful and interesting. Of course that makes him happy. Admittedly, maybe even crazier than he has been so far, but he doesn't care anymore. It comes back to someone every day and it’s just beautiful.

Zero is happy because he wasn’t just watching Jude, now they could talk, watch movies, just enjoy the silence together. He hadn't had this in a long time, he didn't even know it was possible. Everything he remembers from his earthly life is somehow vague and obscure, so it could be said that this is his first time. Admittedly, he doesn't want to say it out loud, but sometimes he is afraid that suddenly some unknown force will take everything away from him and he will never see a younger man again.  
So he sits at night and just stares at him. And even though he knows he can't touch him, still sometimes puts hand to his face and peace overwhelms him.


	4. Chapter 4

Jude occasionally had nightmares, so much Zero could appreciate. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do but do what he was already doing, be there for him.  
He would throw himself on the bed, sweaty and upset, and then wake up screaming. Zero would get quite close and sit next to him, almost pulling him into his lap until he calmed down and fell asleep again. Jude didn't remember anything in the morning anyway.

Zero thought that Jude somehow felt him, that his peace was passing to him and that his help certainly meant something to him. Although he never remembered, Zero was happy that he could at least help him in some way. This must have happened before they even met.  
What was strange to him, Jude never spoke of family, but between the incoherent murmur in his sleep, the name Oscar often appeared. Maybe he should have asked him, just, he was afraid that Jude would be angry, and even more that he would be unhappy, so he was still silent.

That, so to speak, unfortunate case when he watched him masturbate was never mentioned. Zero hoped that Jude sometimes did it regardless of him, because he needed some relaxation. He needed to not always be so serious and rigid. He would be dishonest to say that he would like it to happen again because of him, but he really tried to keep their mutual trust within certain limits.

Since he never slept, he would sometimes visit the neighborhood in which he now lived, but mostly he did not stay long, because something was constantly pulling him back to Jude.

One night it seemed to him that Jude was going to go through another nightmare, but suddenly he realized that something else was going on. It was a warm summer night, and Jude was dressed only in boxers and a thin T-shirt. He started spinning and muttering something in his sleep, and then, to Zero's surprise, he reached into his boxers and began stroking himself, still not waking up.

Zero immediately remembered the first time in the bathroom and was ashamed of his spying. And now he should come out, but his eyes are fixed on the scene happening before him. His assumptions about Jude masturbating seem to have been wrong. He probably didn't dare do anything since Zero was here, so here all this accumulated sexual frustration came to the surface even when he was unconscious.  
Zero still manages to look away and leave the room. This was simply not right. He knew that much too.

The next morning Jude went to the shower and immediately realized what had happened. While making coffee, Zero just says "I didn't look" and Jude blushes. But in fact, no matter how embarrassing he was, he wasn't even sure why he was just saying, "I wouldn't mind."

Zero looked at him in astonishment and probably for the first time without a word. When Jude goes to work, Zero sits for a long time and looks out the window. So what would he get out of it even if he watched? It would just make him sick because he could neither touch nor kiss him anyway. Their relationship became something like a friendship. His wishes would have been inappropriate to what Jude might want anyway, but again why he said he wouldn't mind?

Deep in thought, he doesn't even notice when Jude comes home from work, until he tells him it's time for bed. He stays looking at the sleeping city for a while, and just as he decides to settle into his place in Jude's bedroom, he is struck by a scene from last night.  
As Zero changes his mind about what to do, he suddenly hears a soft "Stay" and approaches the bed and sits next to Judas' feet.  
This time, Jude first takes off his shirt and throws it away in the dark room, then gets up on his elbows and looks Zero straight in the eye  
„Take off your clothes.“  
Zero doesn't even contradict, he just takes off his white suit, almost in one go. Jude watches the scene in front of him amazed by every curve on the other man's body. An angelic sight. Verbatim.  
He also shamelessly takes off his boxers and pats the place on the bed.

Zero thinks this is fair, after the first time, so he doesn’t even argue but kneels next to Jude, to have a better overview.  
"I know we have some obstacles, but listen, it's all actually going out of your head, so try to close your eyes." Jude runs his hand over his already hard cock. They look at each other for a while longer and Zero obeys him.  
Eyes tightly closed, he listens to sounds that only intensify. The sheets rustle, and Jude probably bends his legs at the knees as he hears the sound of fingers slapping him into a hole. With his other hand, he pulls his dick faster and faster in an effort to reach orgasm. What drives him crazy the most are the quiet whining and sighs that Jude produces. Better than any music he’s ever heard in his life.

And although he may not touch the man lying in front of him, his touch does not produce the effect he would like on himself too, so he only imagines how they make love. Rubbing body against body. Kissing and biting frantically. All of this becomes almost unbearable so he suddenly opens his eyes, just as Jude lets out a white jet all over himself, still convulsing from an intense orgasm.

Zero feels naked like never before in his life, but not left out, because what he sees almost seems to push him over the edge and remind him of his human life.  
No matter what, he crawled over the naked man below him and lowered stick their lips.  
He closes his eyes again and no matter what, it seems to him as if Jude breathed life into him when he reciprocated.


	5. Chapter 5

Jude smiles when he finds another man in his bed in the morning. Admittedly, he just lies next to him and watches. Still can’t touch him, or anything human, but he turns and looks at him and knows he doesn’t even need to say anything. He sees everything in his eyes.

Everything changed between them. When they pass by in a small kitchen, when they sit so close to each other while watching a movie. When they lie in the same bed as now. Jude doesn't even find that there is a problem that they don't have real contact, the presence of another man is enough for him to be almost completely happy.

One morning they talk and Zero with a radiant face says something he didn't really intended "you don't even have nightmares anymore" and Jude just closes his eyes again. Shit. He hasn’t done it very well, but now he can’t pull it off.  
Maybe Jude was just pretending not to remember them or he knew right away why he had them.  
"Did I say anything when I had them?" He asks, still squinting, and Zero knows that Jude is either afraid of something or ashamed.  
"You kept mentioning one name, Oscar."  
"That's my father," Jude says softly, but adds nothing more, so Zero doesn't insist. Maybe he'll tell him someday.

He gets up and goes to get ready for work, visibly unhappy. Zero stood up and watched him from the side. Only now does he see how powerless he is to help him in any way.

Not sure how to find out anything about the Oscars. He's not even sure where to start. At least he has as much time as he wants while Jude is at work.  
Now, for the first time, he starts sneaking around the Arena where Jude works and very quickly finds out who he is, and even more so what Oscar is like.  
Now for the first time he sees where and what Jude is doing. And how capable he is. It’s one thing he certainly doesn’t like, because Jude kills himself from work, and his father tries to humiliate him every time and at every turn.  
That is why other workers do not respect him either.  
He already sees very well one of the reasons for Jude's insecurity. Only, that is not the reason for nightmares, it seems that it must be something much more serious.

They still don't talk about it, but Zero finds out some new information every day. What hurts him the most is how much Jude is still trying to impress his father and how much he is unaware of his worth.

Zero doesn’t know how to even begin a topic that Jude may be aware of, but he finds no way out of the vicious circle. Maybe it's not even his business, but hell, how to help him? He constantly feels more and more powerless.  
Until one day when he hears that Jude has a mother and where she lives.

Jude never mentioned her or called her, but he never talked about anything private, so Zero isn’t even surprised.  
When he visits the place where Jude's mother Alice lives, at first everything seems normal to him, but as he comes several times, he discovers some illogical things. Unlike Oscar, who is obviously a local powerful man, Alice lives modestly and all alone. Nowhere in that little house are there any signs of Jude, not even a picture. All this indicates that Jude did not have much support from either side.

Zero still doesn’t know how much time he has left here with Jude, but no matter how much it is, he swears he’ll find a way to help Jude get out of that circle he’s obviously been all alone for a long time.


	6. Chapter 6

Meanwhile, Zero tries in every way he can think of to diminish Jude's loneliness. And he sees that he succeeds somewhat. It’s just, sometimes he’s sad too, he has some weird feeling that all this their time is running out and he won’t get what he intended.

Jude never talks about it, because it really doesn’t make sense. He thinks Jude knows that very well, too. Well, he tries to use their time together while enjoying and help Jude enjoy it.

Their conversations are becoming more intimate and quieter. Watching movies together or just lying in the same bed seems like a blessing to both of them. It was as if the universe had given them time created just for them.  
Even their moments of intimacy, which technically belong only to Jude, unite them in some new ethereal way, which no one can explain, but neither of them bother. They are there and accept them just the way they are.

With all that, Jude eventually withdraws from time to time, which means that he must have received another blow or disrespect from his father. Not a real blow, but something he realized over time would never go away. Why did he keep trying? Maybe it’s time to share the story with Zero. And so he is the only friend he ever had.

So one morning, he decides not to go to work. Zero looks at him in wonder as he eats breakfast and tells him to sit next to him.  
"Listen, I know I wasn't completely honest, but I'm actually ashamed. My father is bad and somehow for many years I thought I was guilty too. It's not exactly an honor for me, because I should have grown up a long time ago and outgrown all his nonsense. Instead, I just dug deeper, wanting him to notice me and praise me at least once. I don't even know why anymore. "  
Jude starts without an introduction and Zero listens to him carefully.  
"I grew up alone with my mother, because he left us when I was too young to remember. Maybe I didn’t remember, but my body is. He beat her, but he beat me too. And probably anyone would have known by when, if we hadn’t bored one day and just gone. Although he paid for my tuition, I had to repay every dollar to him when I started working for him. Even more than that. That was not the only problem. He will never change. What hurts me more than anything, my mother allowed it all and kept quiet. She had been silent since childhood, and even then when one day he came for me again. I may have forgiven her already, but I can’t look at her. I just can't. So I'm even more unhappy, because we both just became wrecks because of one cruel man. "

Now more than ever Zero would want so badly that he could grab Jude's arm or hug him. What he could only be there with him and hope that Jude would not finally fall apart.  
He would tell him everything would be fine, but they both know he won’t.  
Perhaps the only good thing about all of this is that Jude has finally said out loud some facts and will start to worry about himself and not about things that were in the past, about Oscar’s well-being or what other people think. Zero will repeat it to him as long as he is here.

And indeed, as the days go by, Jude seems calmer. The traumas that Oscar is still preparing for him are no longer visible on him. Finally it was as if he had decided to let go and live day by day.  
Together with Zero, no matter how long or short it lasted.


	7. Chapter 7

While some things you constantly expect and hang like a sword over your head, it doesn’t hurt less when they really happen.

Jude went to work a long time ago, and Zero just sits and thinks in an empty apartment. However, something did not give him peace, so finally he went to the arena.

Just in time to see everything that happens.

Jude never talked about it, but apparently he prepared the evidence for a long time and finally did what was right.

Zero watches from a distance as Oscar is taken away by the police.

At first he doesn't see Jude, but something becomes strange to him when something else starts happening. He stretched out his arms in front of him and saw them slowly disappear.  
"Nooooooo…." He shouts desperately even though no one hears him. He is not sorry, he seems to have finally fulfilled his mission. He knew immediately that was the reason.  
And then he sees Jude and Jude sees him… one last time.  
They are far from each other and there is simply nothing more that can be done.

Jude froze in where he stood as he watched Zero disappear, but couldn't move. Now that he has finally done everything to be free, his meaning of life is disappearing…  
So he just falls to his knees without a word… Life is not fair, he knew that, but even after life?

*

The days go by and the memory of Zero slowly fades. Jude returned to his previous life, which only brought him more work after Oscar's departure.

As much as he thought he was powerful, the accusation of murder and tax evasion, Oscar will not solve so easily. Reluctantly, however, he transcribes everything to Jude.  
He was neither young nor would he be released from prison any time soon, and the Board decided anyway that Jude was more than capable of continuing.

It’s been almost a year and the Devils team has been stronger than ever. Jude no longer thought about any life outside of work. It made no sense, nor did he have the will.  
He even replaced the apartment with a larger one, but in a location closer to the Arena. He would often fall asleep in his office, and so he didn't care where he was.   
Fortunately, the pain decreased too.

Jude learns new things, tries to keep the club under control and somehow cope with each new challenge.

Today, among other things, he has a press conference scheduled at which new players will be presented.  
He didn't deal with that. His sports team knew what the Devils needed and he had full confidence in them.  
Still, as an owner he should show up for at least five minutes.

He looks at his watch, so he leaves everything he is currently doing and heads for the hall.  
Settle behind the bar, trying to avoid the crowds. He talks to a few people who approach him, and then it’s time to join the team sitting in front.  
Jude checks emails and listens with half an ear to the announcer talking about new players and calling out on stage one by one.  
Jude doesn't even know why, he suddenly hears "Gideon Hall" and looks up. When his gaze meets those blue eyes he would recognize anywhere, Jude has a feeling he can’t breathe. How is this even possible?


	8. Chapter 8

Jude doesn’t even know how he rushed out of the hall and reached his office, when he closed the door, barely trying to regain normal breathing. Gideon? A new player who is the same, exactly the same Zero. He still doesn't understand. Why does life play with him all the time?

Maybe it just seems that way to him, so he turns around and finds a pile of folders he hasn’t had time to look at yet, with information about new players. With trembling hands he finally finds the one who interests him and looks at the picture for a long time.   
Even if this is Zero, he certainly doesn't remember him anymore. It was kind of logical, even though neither he nor Zero knew how those things really went.  
Only, he knows and that is more than enough. How will they move in the same workspace? No matter how big the arena is, it will meet someday. Should he be hiding in his own company now?

Probably not, but it can all wait another day. Pick up your things and run to your car before anyone asks for him. He has enough security in his apartment, for now. At least one thing is good about all this. Gideon or Zero, either way, is at least no longer an angel.

*

One moment Gideon locked his gaze with the other man, but the next he was gone. Strange. It seemed to him that something was going on, but he wasn't sure what, he had only arrived from Ohio a few days ago and knew practically no one here.

Admittedly, that wasn't exactly true. Although he skillfully hid it, he grew up in this city. And he hopes no one will ever dig it up. He guess a change of surname is enough to hide its true origin. He looks completely different now, he’s grown up, and there’s probably no one left to associate him with a child from a foster family.

He works day and night for years to get to where he is, and of course he will continue to work on that. He knew all about the Devils Club and it seemed to him that the man he saw might be the owner, but he was not sure. Maybe it would be best to leave it all for another time. Now is the time to celebrate and his breakthrough on the ladder of popularity and fame. Just as he always wanted.

*

Jude doesn't sleep well, sneaks down the halls of his own company and doesn't feel comfortable at all. It’s time to do something about it, because this really doesn’t make sense. He didn't have any problems with the job, on the contrary, in these one year, people finally realized that he knew the job and mostly respected it. Others respected him because he didn't even look like an Oscar. But this situation turned his knees to jelly and caused constant nausea. Finally, he calls the sports director and tells him to send Gideon to him.

He really tries to keep at least the semblance of composure as Gideon sits on the other side of the table.  
They watch each other for a few moments before Gideon speaks  
"You're the boss? Isn't it?” He laughs with that irresistible smile that Zero had.  
"Yes," Jude replied, trying not to look him in the eyes.  
"What did you need me for?" Gideon is amused by this, so Jude decides to do it as soon as possible.  
“I wanted to get to know the new players better, so it would be nice to tell me something that isn’t written in your file” Jude is aware that Gideon knows exactly how he is lying, but he still decides to play this game.  
Why not, Gideo is great at this, and the new boss is also very handsome. It is definitely a win win situation.


	9. Chapter 9

After the conversation Jude is even more insecure. He sees very well who Gideon is, so he decides for now to stay away from all possible places where they might meet.

Still he can’t avoid the first game of the new season when new and old players present Devils team. At first he doesn't seem to hear well when Gideon's picture appears on the big screen and the announcer says "Zero" instead of his real name, but when he repeats it a few more times, Jude feels like he's going to pass out.  
Zero. A name and a character who cannot forget for a year, stands before him again in all its grandeur. Some completely different and much more dangerous. And what’s worse is no longer his, but as if the universe has played with him and continues to torture him.

And indeed for the next few months, Jude very rarely meets a new team star. Zero. Gideon. Everything got mixed up in his head anyway. But he manages to keep his emotions and grief buried deep, trying to get down to business and not get down to it. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t fall apart every one of those days as soon as he returns to his new apartment, which now looks icy and empty. He had been like that before, for his Zero had never resided in him, but now that the new reincarnation, or whoever Gideon was, was present somewhere around him, he could not calm down.

To calm his already thin nerves a little, Jude decides to go for the first time after who knows how much time for a short break. He just needs a place not called the Arena, where there is no Devil, and especially where there is no Gideon.  
There should be no problem, he's the boss here anyway. He should be. If others think so, maybe it's finally time to convince himself of that.

He decides not to think much, so that evening he booked a morning flight to the city Ventura. It’s far enough away from the hustle and bustle of LA, and since the season has just begun there probably won’t be anyone it doesn’t want to see. At least a few days as long as he plans to stay there.  
The accommodation is great, the pool is half empty, no one asks him anything. Jude is finally at least a little relaxed and relieved of all obligations.  
He even turned off his cell phone and does not intend to follow the portals or watching TV. This is his five minutes, and he intends to make the most of them.  
He amazes himself how much he enjoys it and has almost forgotten everything that has been bothering him lately. From this perspective, he seems to have cared unnecessarily. What’s there is, Gideo or now Zero, and all that worries him is just in his head.

And maybe that would all be ideal, if he didn't literally collide with his new player on the third day of his stay at the hotel.  
"Zero!" He says, almost scared.  
"Morning boss," Zero smiled.  
"What's going on?" Jude gets a little nervous.  
"Nothing special, why?" Zero still smiles, apparently trying to make Jude even more nervous.

Before Jude can say anything Zero invites him to breakfast and Jude just goes after him.  
The conversation at the table is a bit tense at first, but as time goes on Zero is actually a pleasant interlocutor. Jude finds out that he came for an few interviews, but also that he knew Jude was there. Well, he wasn’t even surprised how his secretary fell for Zero charm and gave him his current whereabouts. Admittedly it was no secret, he just didn't think anyone would be interested.

When they were finished, Zero went to the appointment, but asked Jude to join him in the evening for dinner if he wished.  
Jude thinks all day about whether it would be better to go home or go to dinner and a meeting with a man he’s actually afraid of. So… he's not really afraid of him, he's more afraid of his own reaction. But in the end he still decides not to be a coward and face his biggest fear. What is the worst that can happen to him? Really.


End file.
